Experimenting with pop-ups!

As a class we visited the website of Robert Sabuda and examined some of his more complicated designs, and how he used different techniques to create “pop-up” art, or art that was three-dimensional. I showed them the basic, fold and parallel snip technique to make individual tabs for items.

Students were tasked with creating their favourite place/setting, whether it is their home, their bedroom, an imaginary place, or some other location. Their place/setting had to incorporate some pop-up or three-dimensional features. The rest of the task was up to their individual artistic interpretation.

Students had very mixed reactions when starting this project. Some were very excited, and some intimidated. Others seemed very confused with the actual construction process, and went through several pieces of paper until they figured out what worked, and how to put it all together. Students were encouraged to do a bit of planning and try different techniques, and most took the time to do that, with excellent results!

These projects will hopefully arrive in Finland shortly!  Feel free to check out the different techniques that students used to create the pop-up and three-dimensional artworks when they arrive! Click here to see the full presentation.

Kaarina Losey

Kaarina Losey is the 6th grade teacher at Ryerson P.S. in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.  Her group of artists are making and sharing art with the Päivi Huhtinen and her group of 6th graders from The English School in Helsinki, Finland.

Listening to who is there

We introduced this theme in a very special way. The class sat in a big circle and closed their eyes. The played the Montessori “Silence Game” which is a calming, meditation like game which allows the child to use their senses like hearing. Once they closed their eyes, I asked them to tell me what they can hear.

- The trees in the wind
- The birds chirping
- The doorbell ringing

We got the children to paint, colour in and stick paper to make 3 sounds that they heard.

Enjoy our art project! 

Love,
Oakdale Montessori 3-6 years class

The 3-6 year old artists at Oakdale Montessori School in Cape Town, South Africa are making and sharing art with the 3-4 year old artists from EtonHouse Bilingual Pre-school in Singapore and the 1st and 2nd graders from Grunnskóli Fjallabyggðar in Siglufjörður, Iceland.

Playing with light and shadow!

Everybody is so excited to receive artwork from their friends in Dubai!

Everybody is so excited to receive artwork from their friends in Dubai!

Everybody is so excited to receive artwork from their friends in Dubai!

Once again I find myself amazed by the kids response to this experience. Earlier this week we got mail from our friends in Dubai and you could love their faces looking at the houses of their friends abroad, the names of the kids in Dubai were a sensation because they are so different from their names. 

Today we got to explore our shadows and we went outside, in pairs they helped each other trace their shadows and some of them even made silly poses. They had a blast! Then we came back to the classroom and they did the dame using our projector's light to trace the shadow of a part of their body. The cool thing was seeing them trying to come up with cool shapes for their friends!"

Saludos,
Mrs. Vicke Benavides

The 6 year olds in Prepri C from Colegio San Patricio in Monterrey, Mexico are making and sharing art with the 4-6 year olds in KG2C from Collegiate American School in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Have a seat in our home!

All the Monkeys were very eager to share what their homes are like. What a welcoming bunch of artists! We described what our homes look like, what kind of textures we can find there, even what kind of smells would be cooking in the kitchen. We got us really inspired was thinking about what part of our home is the most comforting. Using pop-up techniques, collage, and drawing we recreated our favorite part of our home!

Ka: This is my panda lying down on the sofa. The curtains and windows are here. There are two doors at my house. The house is white.

Ol: THis is my teddy bear. I have a sofa, door, and my house is brown.

Aa: I have a tv and a painting on the wall.

No: There is dust in my home. There are chairs and tables.

Cs: I have a couch and my dad and brother are at home. I see the table, bedroom, and my toys.

Iu: I have a table and my dolls, my computer, my toy cat, my pencils, sofa and chair, and fish.

Er: My couch, carpet, and door.

Ak: I have lamps, carpet, sofa and a teddy bear.

Lu: I see the sky and the tv and chairs.

We hope our friends in Dubai like our artwork and welcome to Finland!

With love,
The Monkeys, Arlene, Ben, and Atefeh

The 6 year old Monkeys from Your School in Espoo, Finland are making and sharing with the 4-6 year olds in KG2D from Collegiate American School in Dubai, U.A.E. 

Saying so much through art works!

We received the package from South Africa today – and the kids were so relieved, they have been waiting for so long, they said.

It also took more time than we thought to finish the home´s project.  But the kids loved it so much, some of them put more than their family members on the picture like some zombies (might be an influence from computer games). On most of them you can see that the children are thinking about summer, even cherry-trees (which don´t grow here) are in one garden.

All the best,
Halla and Guðný

The 1st and 2nd graders from Grunnskóli Fjallabyggðar in Siglufjörður, Iceland are making and sharing art with the preschoolers from Oakdale Preschool in Cape Town.

We took a picture today of the kids playground, we have had snow today.

Making it real from Mexico!

This project went great, kids were really excited about their houses popping out of the paper and they got magazines cut outs to accessorize and try to make it as similar as possible. 

Mrs. Vicke Benavides

The 6 year olds in Prepri C from Colegio San Patricio in Monterrey, Mexico are making and sharing art with the 4-6 year olds in KG2C from Collegiate American School in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Hearing sounds like walking in the snow

They closed their eyes and to make sure no one was using their eyes, they put their hats over their eyes as you can see on the pictures attached.

Some of them were „hearing“ sound of nature, like wind and walking in the snow, but most of them thought of sounds of machines, washing machine, cars, hammer and also f. ex shouting of their sisters and brothers at home.

They were trying their best – and they could stay quiet while they listened.

Guðný and Halla.

The 1st and 2nd graders from Grunnskóli Fjallabyggðar in Siglufjörður, Iceland are making and sharing art with the preschoolers from Oakdale Preschool in Cape Town.

Opening packages from Iceland!

The artists in Cape Town, South Africa have received their first package from their new friends in Siglufjarðar, Iceland!

Exploring what a home means to us

We started by asking ourselves what home means to us. Then we went outside and in pairs, pretended we were visiting each other's homes. We described our homes, what they look like, what is outside in our gardens, playground, etc. then we came back in the classroom. We closed our eyes and imagined we were coming home from school. What does our front door look like? Do we live in a villa or apartment building? What is outside our home? We thought about these details and then began by making a drawing of our homes. Half way through class we came together and shared a few drawings. We made positive comments and then added one or two things that we thought could be added to the drawings shown, like the people who live in the home, the number of the house, etc. we also talked about what makes Dubai different from other places. What types of trees do we have (Palm and others), are the shapes of our roofs and villas unique? Then we went back to our seats and added more details. In the second class we reviewed our drawings and used them to help us create the pop up card in color.

Thank you,
Liz

Below are photos of KG2E art works.

KG2E class from Collegiate American School in Dubai, United Arab Emirates are making and sharing art with the Tigers from Your School in Espoo, Finland.

Below are selected artworks from KG2D.

KG2D are making and sharing art with the Monkeys. The young artists are 4-6 years old.

Our rooms in our house

The pop up house was interesting! We hadn't done anything like this before so we had practice at cutting scrap paper first.

The children were very excited to represent their lives through a room in their house and tried hard to find things from a catalogue that looked like their furniture. They like making their room come to life and it sparked a conversation about different kinds of beds!

The 5 and 6 year old artists in Class 1 at Sneinton C of E Primary School in Nottingham, England are making and sharing art with the 4 to 6 years olds in KG2B at Collegiate American School in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Sound art from Dubai for their friends in Espoo!

First, we watched a video about how our ears receive sound waves. The children had learned already about the 5 senses so we asked ourselves: which of these senses do artists use? Then the students closed their eyes and listened while I made sounds with different items. We tried to draw those sounds using different types of lines. Then we sat outside and listened to the sounds we heard:  birds, planes, cars and trucks, helicopters, children playing, footsteps.

In the second class we talked about the idea of things that happen “earlier” and “later” and spoke about activities we do in these periods. We tried to remember and predict “earlier” and “later” activities and to draw them.

Below are selected artworks from KG2E.

The kids found listening to the sounds outside really fun. Sometimes it was hard to remain quiet and just listen but then we enjoyed the process. What did your kids think about it? Was it challenging? Trying to draw the things that makes sounds from earlier and later periods was a bit tougher for us but we liked thinking about all the things we do outside of school. We drew things like brushing our teeth, playing, eating, and driving in our cars. In Dubai we have to do a lot of driving because the city is big and spread out. We also have big high ways.

What is it like in Helsinki? What animals live there? Do you walk, or take buses or trains to school? What is the weather like? We can sit outside now in shorts and t-shirts in Dubai but soon it will be too hot.

KG2E class from Collegiate American School in Dubai, United Arab Emirates are making and sharing art with the Tigers from Your School in Espoo, Finland. KG2D are making and sharing art with the Monkeys. The young artists are 4-6 years old.

Below are selected artworks from KG2D.

Monkeys in the moment

When I told them that our new friends live in Dubai everybody was so excited!! Some of them had been there and said it was so beautiful and hot! One of them said that their Mom wants to go back. It must be a great place!!

We got straight to making art for our new friends. We wanted to tell them about who we are through the sounds we hear in our daily life. We blindfolded our eyes so that we could focus on the moment and draw what we hear. The other two parts of the triptych depict what we hear at other times of the day.

Niila said, "I heard somebody on a bike."

 Luukas said, "I drew my house and my friends."

Erkka said, "I heard a ghost and my heart. Actually, it was the ghosts' heart.

Elle said, "I heard cats and dogs."

Iulia said, "I heard music and the clouds."

Alma said, "I heard an owl in the night. I also heard the wind."

Noel said, "I heard the wind and the other Monkeys."

Jonathan said, "I heard a tornado, fire, and 19 kids."

We all had a very different experience and that's what's so exciting about the artistic process.  Kasper said that he liked to draw with his eyes closed.  The Monkeys are brave for trying new things!

With love,
The Monkeys, Arlene, Ben, and Atafeh

The 6 year old Monkeys from Your School in Espoo, Finland are making and sharing with the 4-6 year olds in KG2D from Collegiate American School in Dubai, U.A.E. 

Ashira heard her heart beating and her friends.

Sensing through making art!

I started this project by explaining we were gonna have new art buddies in Dubai and I showed them how far away it is and some pictures of the city and school. 

They got really excited and the project matched our curriculum perfectly since we are learning about senses and habitats. 

I got them to experience different sounds so they could imagine how their creations would look like.

It was funny to hear them say 'I've got it! Mine will be a beach, cause that sound like a wave' and 'That sound gave the idea to make a fairy land, cause that sounds like magic'. 

I enjoyed watching them pay attention to what they were hearing, imagine and create unique pieces of art for our special friends in Dubai. 

xoxo,
Mrs. Vicke Benavides

The 6 year olds in Prepri C from Colegio San Patricio in Monterrey, Mexico are making and sharing art with the 4-6 year olds in KG2C from Collegiate American School in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

A school of fish create a sea of inspiration!

The artists in Finland were very excited to have received their artworks from Mexico!  When they saw the fish we thought it would be great to create a collective piece of art and make a giant ocean. You will see colorful fish, mermaids, ships, and sharks!

Thank you, Ms. Laura Garza and Prepri A, the group of 6 year old artists from San Patricio Colegio in Monterrey, Mexico.

With love,
Arlene Tucker

Abstract styles from Nottingham!!

We looked at pics on the internet of under the sea. The children were keen on making a list of all the animals that live under the sea.

Here are some snippets of conversations....

I think it's nice and warm
It might be dark and a bit scary
I like it in the dark... you can see awesome things under the sea
I think it's beautiful under the sea
I would like to look at all the animals under the sea
I like colouring it's fun because when you have finished you can play with it.
Spider fish
Electric Eel
Starfish
Swordfish
Seahorse
Elephant fish
Octopus
Hammerhead Shark
Stingray
Flying fish
Clownfish
John Dory
Puffer fish
Dolphin
Whale
Killer whale
Great white shark

Nina Evans

The 5 and 6 year olds in Class 1 from Sneinton C of E Primary School in Nottingham, UK are making and sharing art with the 5 and 6 year olds in Prepri C from Colegio San Patricio in Monterrey, Mexico.

From summer time in South Africa to sunny Mexico!

Hello Mexico,

It is summer now here in South Africa, so the Toddler class really enjoyed this project. Our School is situated in a suburb called Oakdale and all around us are Oak leaves. So we decided to focus on Oak leaves and the summer flowers that are brightly coloured. Hope you enjoy our Art –

Love,
Oakdale Toddlers

The Toddler class, artists 18 months to 3 years old, from Oakdale Preschool in Cape Town, South Africa are making and sharing art with Nursery C from Colegio San Patricio in Monterrey, Mexico.

For many reasons, we are happy Monkeys!

The happy Monkeys just got happier!  They were very excited to receive the lovely letter and artworks from K2B class in Mexico.  Every part of the process was exciting- from reading the names of our friends to talking about Elmer the Elephant!  Thank you! Kiitos! Gracias!

We first started talking about what we see when we walk out of the school.  What is the environment like outside of Your School's doorstep?  Monkeys talked about pine trees, birds, bushes, and now we have snow.  Now the grass is covered with white snow.

Then we continued with our characters and where their homes are.  We imagined if we were at our friend's home and stepped outside, what would we find.  How would it look in the daytime and what about at nighttime?  The Monkeys first used wax crayons to accentuate and outline shapes.  When they painted over with watercolor this art technique helped highlight what they were trying to show in their painting.

K2B, we have a couple of questions for you.  Do you have snow in Mexico?  What do you like to do for fun?

We hope you like our artworks and we look forward to hearing from you!

Our best,
Arlene & the Monkeys

The 5-6 year old Monkeys from Your School in Espoo, Finland are making and sharing art with the 5-6 year olds from Colegio Bosques de las Cumbres in Monterrey, Mexico.

Home sweet home

This project went really well and it was a perfect for our curriculum since we were learning about how to describe our own homes. So we took this opportunity to make a drawing and a little message describing their homes to our friends abroad. 

They were really excited about letting everybody know how their houses looked. Also, when we covered the drawings with the black paint they got kind of nervous because they thought it was ruined. But then, when they draw the outside of their homes on top of the black paint their faces were priceless!! They were amazed to see that if they scratched the black paint, our friends in Nottingham could be able to see the inside of their homes!!

Saludos,
Mrs. Vicke Benavides

The 5 and 6 year olds in Prepri C from Colegio San Patricio in Monterrey, Mexico are making and sharing with the 5 and 6 year olds in Class 1 from Sneinton C of E Primary School in Nottingham, UK.

Viva México

Sneighnten CofE's Layers of Love!

These are the responses from the children - 

I liked all the different colours

I liked scraping all the black off...it was like magic!

It surprised me how good it came out

The colours look like he is under the sea, it looks amazing. just like he is under the sea!

I liked making the patterns

Wow...the is amazing, I am going to do this at home

The children love love loved this project!!

Nina Evans

The 5 and 6 year olds in Class 1 from Sneinton C of E Primary School in Nottingham, UK are making and sharing art with the 5 and 6 year olds in Prepri C from Colegio San Patricio in Monterrey, Mexico.

SpongeBob is like the sun :)

The children worked in pairs for this project. They really enjoyed the stickiness and the thought that the Mexican children would actually receive this art.

They love the SpongeBob films and noticed how he is a happy character and that yellow is a happy colour, like the sun. Doing him with tissue paper they thought was like his sponge body and using the transparent plastic was like under the water!!!

Best wishes,
Nina Evans

The 5 and 6 year olds in Class 1 from Sneinton C of E Primary School in Nottingham, UK are making and sharing art with the 5 and 6 year olds in Prepri C from Colegio San Patricio in Monterrey, Mexico.